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Thera 4.1: Nagaasamala
Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(186):Nagaasamala Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids. Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'. ---- Chapter IV. Four Verses =186. Nāgaasamāla= Reborn in this Buddha-age in a clan of Sākiyan (king)rājas, he made the perishableness of life his principle, and, rousing up insight, attained arahantship(enlightenment). He upon that testified to aññā(supreme attainment), as occurring in his own experience, thus: ---- 267 Alaŋkatā suvasanā mālinī candanussadā,|| Majjhe mahapathe nārī turiye naccanti nāṭakī.|| || 268 Piṇḍikāya paviṭṭhohaɱ gacchanto naɱ udikkhisaɱ,|| Alaŋkataɱ savasanaɱ maccupāsaɱva oḍḍitaɱ.|| || 269 Tato me manasīkāro yoniso udapajjatha,|| Ādīnavo pāturahu nibbidā samatiṭṭhatha.|| || 270 Tato cittaɱ vimucci me passa dhammasudhammataɱ,|| Tisso vijjā anuppattā kataɱ buddhassa sāsanan' ti.|| || ---- 267 Bedecked with trinkets and with pretty frock, Wreathed with flowers, raddled with sandal wöod, In the main street, before the multitude A dancing girl danced to music's fivefold sound.1 268 Into the city I had gone for alms, And passing I saw the dancer decked In brave array, like trap of Mara(deathlord/devil) laid. 269 because of that arose in me the deeper thought:2 Attention to the fact and to the cause. The misery of it all was manifest; Distaste, indifference the mind possessed. 270 176 And so my heart was set at liberty. O see the seemly monk’s order of the Path(Dhamma)! The Threefold Wisdom have I made my own, And all the Buddha taught me to do is done.3 ---- 1 The five instruments usually grouped as turiya are three sorts of tom-toms, cymbals (?), and pipe or flute. 'Nautch girl' is nari-'' lit., woman - and ''naṭṭaki, dancer. 2 Yoniso manasikāro. The Commentary paraphrases by analyzing the sight of that which was intended to appeal to sense and emotion 'Distaste,' etc.: Cy. has sampatiṭṭha'hāti ... hadayaɱ saŋhāsi. 3 It is not possible to be sure that this Nāgasamāla is the Thera so named who was occasionally the Buddha's attendant on his walks. Cf. CCLX.; Majjh. Nik., i. 43; Udāna, viii. 7; Jāt., iv. 95. ---- (Dutiya bhago) My adoration is to that Blessed One, the worthy One and the well Self-awakened One. 4. Fourth Section (Nipata) =4.1 186 Commentary on the stanza of Nāgasamalatthera= The stanza starting with alaṅkatā constitutes that of the venerable thera Nāgasamāla. What is the origin? This one also was reborn in a family home at the time of the Blessed One Padumuttara; on having attained the age of intelligence, he happened to have met the Blessed One who was walking on the ground which was in a state of having been well-heated by the sun’s heat in the hot season, beccame pious-minded and offered (Him) an unbrella. On account of that act of merit, he wandered about his rounds of repeated rebirths among divine and human beings, and was reborn in the royal Sakiyan family when this Buddha arose; having gained the name as Nāgasamāla, he, on having come of age aptly gained pious faith at the coming together of (his) relatives, became a monk and was an attendent upon the Blessed One for some certain time (kincikalam). One day, on having entered the city for alms-food, he happened to notice on the high road a certain lady-dancer dancing when musical instruments were being played, said to himself; “This one changed about (parivatti) this way and that way (tathā) her impure body under the influence of the vibration (vipphāra) of wind element (vāyo dhātu) as dictated by mind (cittakiriya); alas! Confections (sankhāra) are impermanent,” placed himself in the path of reflection upon extinction (khaya) and distruction (vaya), intently indulged in the development of spiritual insight (vipassanā) and attained archatship. Hence, has it been said in the Apadāna:– “The ground had become burning coal; the earth had reached accordingly the condition of hot ashes (kukkuḷa) The Blessed One promenaded in open air. Taking along with me a yellowish (paṇḍara) unbrella, I entered upon (my) journey. There, having met the self-awakened Buddha, joy (vitti) arose (upapajji) then in me. The ground had been spread over with mirages and this earth resembled embers; strong winds were injuring (upahanti) and throwing away bodily comfort (sarīrassāsukhepanā). Please accept this unbrella in order to dispel cold and heat and ward off the hot breeze (vātātapanivāraṇaṃ), I should like to attain (phassayissāmi) the tranquility of nibbāna (nibbuti). The compassionate, the merciful and fully famous Padumuttara, the Conqueror, after having understood my intention, then accepted (my offering). For thirty aeons (kappa) I was the divine ruler and exercised celestial sovereignty. For five hundred times I was a world-king. Regional reign I had in abundance, numerically incalculable. I enjoed the fruits of my own well-done deed which was done by me formerly. This is my last birth which happened to be my final existence; now also I hold at all times a while unbrella over me. It was a hundred thousand aeons (kappa) ago, that I then offered the unbrella; I do not remember any evil existence; this is the fruitful result of my making unbrella offering. My depravity had been burnt; … Buddha’s instruction had been carried out. Having, bowever, attained Arahantship, he revealed his achievement (aññā) by means of four stanzas by way of extolling his own proper performance (paṭipatti). 267. “Adorned and well-dressed, wearing garlands of flowers and anointed with sandal scent, a lady dancer performed her dance in the middle of the high road in tune with music.” 268. “I, who had entered for alms-food, saw, on my way, her, who was adorned and well dressed, resembling the snare set by Māra (maccu). 269. “Thereupon there came about the making of my mindfulness and there then arose (my) wise thinking (yonisc); disadvantage became obvious (pāturahu); disgust (nibbidā) then well stood up. 270. Thereafter, my mind became emancipated; see the good nature (sudhammatā) of the truth (dhamma); threefold super knowledge (vijjā) had been duly attained; Buddha’s instruction had been carried out.” There, alaṅkatā means: had her body adorned with such ornaments as those for her hands, arms, and so on. Suvasanā means: excellently dressed, had put on good clothes. Mālinī means: Wearer of garland of flowers, ornamented with garlands of flowers. Candanussadā means: her body having been besmeared with duly ground sandal scent. Majjhe mahāpathe nārī, tūriye naccati naṭṭakī means: at the place according as said, a dancing lady, a she-dancer, danced when five kinds of music bacame sounded (vajjante) in the middle of the city-street; she performed her dance according as she was placed. Piṇḍikāya means: for alms-food (bhikkhāya). Paviṭṭho ‘ haṃ means: I had entered the city. Gacchanto n udikkhisaṃ going along the city-street, I happened to catch sight of that lady dancer as I looked about the street for the purpose of all round avoiding danger (parissayapariharaṇa). Similar to what? Maccupāsaṃ va oḍḍit means: according as such a smare as beautiful form and so on, which had become the snare for death of the king of death which had been laid (oḍḍito) and kept standing after having continuously wandered about (anuvicaritvā) in the world, constitutes the bringer of disadvantage to the living beings definitely (ekaṃsena), in the same manner, she also is certainly (ekaṃsato) a bringer of disadvantage to the blind common folks (puthujana) who abide by her (ṭhitānaṃ), when wanting in judgment (appaṭisankhāne); thus, it has been said that she resembled the snare of death. Tato means therefore, because of the condition of resembling the snare of death. Me means; my, to me (mayhaṃ). Manasikāro yoniso udapajjatha means: there arose my making of mindfulness wisely (yoniso) in this manner; “This one is a collection of bones, linked together with sinews of veings consistently smeared with flesh, aptly covered over with skin, disgustful and loathsome with bad-smelling impurities, liable to (dhammo) impermanence, covering over (ucchādana), all-round trodden upon (parimaddana), dissolution and destruction, she shows such contortions (vikāra) as these; thus, there arose (my) making of mindfulness wisely (yoniso) in this manner. Ādīnavo pāturahu means: there had become evident to me defect and disadvantage in many a manner, there, when they are approached from the angle of danger similar to that of ogres and devils and so on because of (my) making mindfulness over the appearance and disappearance essential property (sarasapabhaṅguta) of the mind and mental co-efficients (cetasika), which have depended (missita) on it for that by way of calculation (updhāraṇa) of the nature of the body; opposite to it, however, is the benefit (ānisaṃsa) in nibbāna. Nibbidā samatiṭṭha means: knowledge of disgust (nibbidānāṇa) which is loathesome and the accomplishment (siddhaṃ) of the power (ānubhāva) of reflecting upon the disadvantage (ādīnava) stood well (saṇṭhāsi) in my heart; even for a while there was no mind (of mine) in the taking up of those physical (rūpa) and mental (arūpa) phenomena (dhamma); as a matter of fact (aññadatthu) there had happened (jāta) but my indifference (udāsīna) there by way of my desire to escape (muñcitukāmatā) and so on; thus, is the meaning. Tato means: other than the knowledge of spiritual insight (vipassanā). Cittaṃvimucci me means: my mind became amancipated from all forms of depravity (kilesa) by means of successive stages of the right path (magga), when there is present the transcendental meditation (lokuttara bhāvanā). By means of this, he shows the springing up of fruition (phaluppatti). Indeed, at the moment of (having attained) the right path (magga), it is said to be being released (vimuccanti) from depravity (kilesa); at the moment of attaining fruition (Phala) the emancipation had been made. The rest is but in the manner said already. The Commentary on the stanza of the thera Nāgasamāla is complete. ----